Bayonetta developer PlatinumGames has teased that one of its next projects may be unlike anything it has made before. Studio head Atsushi Inaba told Video Game Chronicle that he's aware that's a claim that is often said, but he really means it.

"Right now we're in the middle of designing something that has never been done before," he said. "I know a lot of people say that, but the game we're working on truly is unlike anything else. Even for our varied history of veteran game developers, this is something that has never been designed before. So from a game design perspective, we're very excited right now."

That's all Inaba had to say on the subject; it's unclear when the studio may formally announce the title. Whatever the case, Inaba said 2019 is an "incredibly important year" for PlatinumGames. "Without speaking directly to the number of titles we may or may not announce, I can say it's going to be a year of some major new approaches, new challenges, and new methods for us."

He said PlatinumGames is building a "new foundation" in 2019 that he expects will pay dividends down the road.

The secret new game is believed to be a new IP. PlatinumGames is moving toward the self-publishing route, Inaba said, and this is noteworthy for a number of reasons. The Bayonetta IP is owned by Sega, not PlatinumGames, and this has led to some issues, Inaba said.

"In the case of Bayonetta it took a lot of time and energy to get it to the point where sequels could be made," he said. "It wasn't as simple as picking up the phone and asking, 'Hey, can we do this?' There were a lot of pieces that needed to fall into place and a lot of negotiating that had to occur. For us as creators, we want to get to the point where self-publishing allows us to own our IP and do what we want with it, including making sequels. So the faster we can have that freedom, the better if will be for all the creators here."